Volume XXVII, Number 40
High Tech
Humboldt
Committed to cultural diversity.
MJ
High-tech computers help
put north Portland
elementary on the cutting
i euge.
See Education, page A5.
OCT. 1, 1997
Clowns smile
on all
Call him a very
talented musician
Racial barriers fall when the
clowns come out.
Brian McKnight brings the
best in music to everyone
from Quincy Jones to Boyz
II Men.
i
See Metro, inside
CLlie
See Entertainment " H 3 .
(©Í
. . ve r
Bernstine calls for diversity
PSU president vows to build a new campus environment
B y N eii . H eilpern
Diana Crash Recreated
French investigators have not com
mented on what they learned from rec
reating the car wreck that killed Princess
Diana, her companion, Dodi Al Fayed
and their driver. Sources said that new
tests show that the driver, Henri Paul,
was a long-time alcoholic. Earlier analy
ses had shown that Paul had well over the
legal limit of alcohol in his system at the
time of the crash. More re-enactments
of various aspects of the tragedy are
expected in the coming weeks
Racial board convenes
President Clinton has convened a
meeting of his advisory hoard on racial
issues. Clinton appointed the board in
June to counsel him on his efforts to
promote a national dialogue on race.
Last week he told a gathering in Little
Rock. Ark., that he has been obsessed
with racial equality for 40 years, since
nine black students under federal escort
broke the racial barrier at Little Rock’s
Central High School.
Fed policymakers m eet
Federal Reserve policy makers met
Tuesday with little fear that they will
raise interest rates because of what ana
lysts call a near-perfect economy.
House okays money bill
The House easily has approved a stop
gap bill that would keep the federal gov
ernment operating through Oct. 23, pre
venting a government shutdown as law
makers scramble to finish work on over
due spending bills. The House also voted
to temporarily extend a program, set to
expire Wednesday, that allows illegal
immigrants to remain in the United States
while they try to become legal residents.
Mondale to testify
A Senate panel will hear from two
prominent former lawmakers today on
the issue of campaign finance reform.
Form er R epublican S en ato r N ancy
Kassebaum Baker and former Vice Presi
dent Walter Mondale are due to testify
before the Senate Governmental Affairs
Committee. Kassebaum Baker said the
future of the nation’s political system is
in danger unless Congress does some
thing to change the way political cam
paigns are financed.
r. Daniel O. Bernstine promised
to keep building a "diverse cam
pus environment," W ednesday
when he delivered his first major speech as
president of Portland State University
Talking to new deans and faculty mem
bers in Harrison Hall, Bernstine applauded
campus academic and administrative per
sonnel for their efforts in bringing "dra
matic changes in this institution” to make
D
‘We need to make a special
effort to recruit minority
students and then take the
necessary steps to ensure
that these students
succeed, ' - PSU President
Daniel O. Bernstine
PSU a “nationally recognized innovator."
“We need to build on programs such as
the Portland Teacher Program, which reaches
into the middle schools to identify and begin
training minority students who will take their
place in classrooms as teachers and role
models," he said.
Bernstine called for the continued en
couragement of under-represented students
to study science and mathematics and to
bring at-risk youth to the campus to encour
age them to go on to a college experience.
“We need to make a special effort to
recruit minority students," he added, “and
then take the necessary steps to ensure that
these students succeed."
The 49-year-old African-American is the
first minority person to head an Oregon
University. He will direct PSU 's 15,000
students and 4(H) full-time faculty m em
bers.
“It is important for every member of the
university community — students, faculty
and staff — to have colleagues and role
models,” he said while calling for more
minority members on the PSU faculty and
Darnel O. Bemstme (right) prepares for his first major speech as Portland State University president. (Photo by Neil Heilpern
staff.
Bernstine also promised increased attention
to PSU’s sponsored research, campus develop
ment. fund raising and building community sup
port for athletic and academic efforts.
Promising to “redouble our efforts" to
find financial support for PSU's University
D istrict Plan, B ernstine also cited the
school’s need to "press for the realization of
other campus plans, such as the elementary
school, more student housing and a vital
commercial and housing district."
“ I need your help and your patience as I
continue to learn about PSU, its programs
and its people, its strengths and, yes. its
weaknesses, too,” he said.
"I expect that we all will keep the student
learning experience at the center o f every
thing we do," Bernstine said. "In every deci
sion we make — whether it involves aca
demic programs, new technology, schedul
ing of events, facilities maintenance or con
struction, the design o f student services
...we must ask how will this affect the stu
dent experience?"
He vowed to be a “tireless advocate" for
PSU and its "vital role in the state system of
higher education.”
Bernstine said his administration would
be "grounded in principle, an administration that
makes decisions based not on expediency and
not from a concern with personal or political
popularity, but decisions that air made because
they are best for the institution and because
they are the right thing to do.”
Bernstine most recently served as dean
and professor of law at the University of
W isconsin. He has also served as general
counsel for Howard University and hospital
in W ashington. D.C.
He studied political science and sociol
ogy at the University of California, Berke
ley, with advanced law degrees at North
western. Chicago and the University of W is
consin.
Cosmonaut prepares walk
A cosm onaut is preparing to take
Russia’s first step into space while wear
ing a U.S. spacesuit. Vladimir Titov from
the Mir space station and American as
tronaut Scott Parazynski from the shuttle
Atlantis will retrieve some scientific
equipment from M ir's exterior during
W ednesday's walk. Titov will become
the first Russian to enter space in a U.S.
space suit.
Netanyahu stands firm
One day after agreeing to reopen peace
talks with the Palestinians, Israel is reaf
firming its stand on a central issue driv
ing the two sides apart. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu repealed his con
tention today that Israel would not stop
Jewish settlement expansion in Pales
tinian areas. Middle East peace talks
c o lla p se d last M arch w hen Israel
launched settlement construction on a
hill in Arab East Jerusalem.
Marcos papers forged
Two Swiss banks rejected as forger
ies the documents that allegedly reveal
close to $13 billion belonging to the
estate of the late Philippines leader
Ferdinand Marcos.
Second man tried for Oklahoma bombing
efense attorneys tried to distance
ism on U.S. soil, acquiring fertilizer and
Terry Nichols from convicted co
other components, robbing a firearms dealer
defendant Timothy McVeigh as
to finance the attack and helping McVeigh
they began questioning prospective build
jurors
the bomb. They also say Nichols helped
in the second Oklahoma City bombing trial.
McVeigh stash the getaway car in Oklahoma
Nichols' attorneys repeatedly asked po
City three days before the blast.
tential jurors Monday if they could distin
U.S District Judge Richard Matsch told
guish between someone who is primarily
each prospective juror Nichols faces the
responsible for a crime and someone who
same charges as McVeigh and could be sen
may have had a secondary role.
tenced to die if convicted But. he added,
Prosecutors say Nichols, 42, was a sup
‘’This is a different case
It begins with a
porting player in the deadliest act of terror-
clear page ”
D
Prospective jurors said they understood
that Nichols must he judged separately from
McVeigh.
But one, an unemployed Fort Collins dairy
farmer said. “ If he’s guilty like McVeigh. I
feel he’s caused enough damage and should
be put to death. What got me the worst was
there were so many children in it.’’
Nineteen children were among the 168
people killed in the blast on April 19, 1995
Hundreds of others were injured.
Nichols stood, bowed stiffly from the
1
waist and greeted each prospective juror. He
smiled and waved to his mother in the front
row as he was escorted into the courtroom.
Attorneys questioned six prospective jurors
on the trial's opening day Two jurors were ex
cused lor medical reasons. Selecting 12 jurors
and six alternates from a ptxil of 500 is expected
Io take two weeks to a month.
Nichols is charged with murder, con
sp ira c y an d w e a p o n s re la te d c o u n ts.
McVeigh was convicted of identical charges
in June and sentenced to die.
I